Lumbini Mahadevi Temple

NEPAL, Bhairahawa

Mahadevi refers to Queen Maya, mother of Prince Siddhartha, who later became Sakyamuni Buddha. The temple is located at Lumbini, the birthplace of the Buddha, near the Nepalese border with India. Excavations have shown remains of several architectural phases of the temple, including the Maurya (circa 321–185 BCE) and the Gupta (circa 320–550) periods. It is believed that the temple is constructed over the foundations of earlier temples or stupas, including an Asoka stupa. The present Nepalese-style temple was built in 1998.
The temple is a two-story high brick building and is surmounted by a white stupa in the form of an inverted bowl. The harmika has Buddha’s eyes on the four sides. The spire consists of gold-colored stacked rings, followed by a canopy and finial. Inside the building there are the preserved foundations of monastic residences, with the fences and handrails of the stairs decorated with yellow Dharma wheels. There is a marker stone indicating the exact birthplace of Prince Siddhartha. A sandstone sculpture from the 7th century depicting the birth of Prince Siddhartha was also found during the excavation of the site.